Super Bowl Commercials? More like Super Less Commercials.
I realized today that advertisers who are constantly asking for strategy, smart ideas and ROI aren’t the ones running spots on the Super Bowl. It dawned on me after doing two very different kinds of interviews this weekend – a pre-game interview Sunday morning with Good Morning Arizona and two more segments with ABC 15 this morning.
With Good Morning Arizona, the conversation focused on the good and bad about advertising on the Super Bowl and how companies can realize that investment through consumer participation in content creation or social media. On ABC 15 it simply focused on a few favorite funny spots and what I thought of them. Nothing, of course, is wrong with either approach and I hope each station got what they wanted. I also want to thank each one for having me participate in the segments.
It was the conversation at ABC 15 however that made me see the complete lack of strategy behind nearly all the Super Bowl advertising, and how much time and money is wasted on it. It’s great to be entertained, but with the Super Bowl that’s all it is. And if that is all it will ever be, then pointless consumer products are the only advertisers we will ever see.
Whatever happened to ground-breaking creative with strategy like Apple’s “1984” spot? I want spots to pull me in and connect with me. I want them to make me want to watch again and again. That said, kudos goes to Google this year as the only spot to hit the mark...a simple idea using their product to demonstrate how relevant it is to me. It was done with humor and emotion and that is a rare combination.
My view on the others:
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Snickers: Who cares. I dig Betty White. How could you not like her? But a sugar high making you better at doing something is an easy idea and for most people not believable. If it was for Vitamin Water then it would be great.
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Doritos: Stop crowd sourcing your creative. It’s silly slapstick humor. Only the “Play Nice” spot had any redeeming quality to it.
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E-Trade: I love the babies and they are funny. I will even give you props for having a strategy behind them. But they’ve run their course and it’s time to move on while you’re on top. Also babies, dogs and hot girls are so bloody easy that they should be avoided in advertising by default.
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Go-Daddy: Speaking of hot girls...this joke is so old that the company has become the joke. Are 16-year old boys the only customers they have? Seriously, they built national publicity using it and instead of leveraging that they now have people not caring about them. And that is not a good position to be in for any company.
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Bud Light/Budweiser: I really liked their “Body Bridge” and “Light House.” But again, they’re a beer company. All they have to do is entertain you and have you associate having a great time with their products. Easy. Find a new trick.
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VW: I can say two things. Quit hitting people and having a blind guy say he can see something. That has been done - most notably by Ray Charles 15 years ago when he said the new Pepsi clothing merchandise “looked great.” Very funny.
This might come across harsh given there were a few advertising bright spots. But we as an industry are better than this - and we need to be now more than ever. At the Super Bowl party I went to yesterday, nobody even paid attention to the spots. As I was preparing for this morning's interview and watching their reactions, it was eye opening to see how people experience the game away from industry insiders, how distracted they are and how little they pay attention to the millions of dollars advertisers spend.
3 comments so far
William Smith says:
I liked the Bud Light "Lost" spoof for some reason. Just the acting made me crack up :D "Hey I found the beverage cart and its stocked with Bud Light" and all the captain guy saying "Heeeeeere we go"
Michael Wilson says:
The Google Paris-Ad was definitely my favourite. Did exactly what advertising should do...told a story, while being non-intrusive...and im sure the production budget was pennies compared to those looking for results through animated animals and celebrity endorsements.
Jason Paprocki says:
I completely agree with you on GoDaddy - they've gone too far and for too long after their initial splash. They offer a legitimate and solid service from my experience, yet it's gotten to the point where you don't want people to know that they're your hosting service. That's a shame...